FRISCO'S EXECUTIVE FLEET

St. Louis Business Car, West Coach Shops, Springfield, MO, August 21, 1951. Frisco photo

EDITOR'S NOTE:This is the second in our series onthe Frisco's Executive Fleet ofBusiness Cars and begins a seriesof in-depth profiles of individual cars.

St. Louis

The SL Louis Business carwas originally built in January,1912, by the American Car &Foundry's Jeffersonville, IN plantas No. 1086, one of a series offifteen (Nos. 1074-1088) 79' all steelCoaches, Lot No. 6335. When placedin service in April, 1912, it wasrostered as a First Class Coach andserved in that capacity for the nextthirty-two years.

In 1943, the 62 passengercoach was rebuilt in the Springfield,MO West Coach Shops as DiningCar No. 646, one of a series of five(644-648) Zephyr Blue & White"Soldier Diners," (See All Aboard,April-May, 1992. pp. 18-19) sonamed because of their expandedseating capacity of 40, for use ontroop trains.

In the fall of 1950, No. 646once again entered the Coach Shopand emerged on January 2, 1951 asthe St. Louis Business Car. It was85' long, weighed 188,500 lbs. andwas equipped with a full service

kitchen and crew quarters, a diningroom, three state rooms withindividual baths, secretary'squarters, and an observation roomon the platform end. The interiorfinish was mahogany paneling withivory colored steel accessories. Theexterior finish was an olive greenwith black roof, gold lettering &details.

When placed into executiveservice, the St. Louis was assignedto the exclusive use of ClarkHungerford, then President of the

railroad. Following its tour of dutywith him, the car served a numberof successive presidents includingL.W. Menk, J.E. Gilliland, and R.C.Grayson, the last Frisco Presidentto use the car. In 1963, thedistinctive St. Louis name wasreplaced with the number 2 and thecar was re-painted in the new Friscomandarin orange & white colorscheme in the late 1960's.

After the Frisco-BN mergerin 1980, the car was re-numberedBNA-9 and re-named the Meramec

1074-1088 (1081) series ACF Built coach, Springfield, MO, July 30, 1961,A. Johnson photo

River. It was re-painted in BN green & white livery and is still in service in the BN's executive consist.

St. Louis Business Car observationplatform, Springfield, MO, August21, 1951. Frisco photo

ex-St. Louis, Business Car No. 2, Springfield, MO, August, 1967.W.C. Thurman collection

St. Louis Business Car, Observation Room facing rear of car. Springfield, MO, January 2, 1951.Frisco photo

St. Louis Business Car, Observation Room facing front of car. Springfield, MO, January 2, 1951.Frisco photo

St. Louis Business Car, Dining Room facing front of car. Springfield, MO, January 2, 1951.Frisco photo

The MAIL CAR is afeature of the ALLABOARD in which weattempt to answersome of the manyquestions that aresubmitted to ourFRISCO RESEARCHSERVICE.

If you have a question aboutthe equipment, facilities, or opera-tion of the Frisco, please send themto the RESEARCH SERVICE. Allrequest are answered individuallyand selected questions will appearin the MAIL CAR feature.

QUESTION: In twenty-five wordsor less, can you explain to me howthe car retarders work at humpyards?

ANSWER: No. But if you will giveus 159 words, we can provide youwith some insights into the twomost common types of retardersystems.

According to informationprovided by General Railway SignalCo., the two most common types ofcar retarder systems are the E-TypeElectric Car Retarders and the F-Type Weight-Responsive HydraulicRetarders.

The Electric units (Figure 1)are commonly used as master andgroup retarders for facilitieshandling substantial amounts of

heavy load traffic. The brakingeffect is obtained by means of heat-treated alloy steel shoes mountedon each side of the rails which areactivated by an electric drive gearmechanism. When a wheel movesbetween the shoes, the shoes areforced apart against thecompression of the spring. Theresultant friction force between theshoes and the car wheel serve toretard the car.

The Hydraulic units (Figure2) are commonly used as masterand group retarders in low volumeyards where extra heavy cars arenot usually encountered. The innerlevers are power operated in theclosed direction by hydraulic ramswhich close the shoe rails againstthe wheels.

SL-SF 95' Box Car #9125. Frisco photo

SL-SF 70' jumbo Hopper Car #93029. Frisco photo

LOOKING BACKWARD is a regularfeature of the ALL ABOARD thattakes a look back through our filesat the people, equipment, facilities,operations, and events that were apart of the Frisco 25, 50, and 75years ago.

25 YEARS - 1968

In 1968, the Frisco's freightfleet was increased with the additionof two series of jumbo units. Nos.9120-9133 were the third deliveryin a series of thirty-four, 95' smooth-side, double plug-door, box carsused exclusively for haulingautomotive parts. Nos. 93000-93054 were a series of 70' jumboopen top hopper cars with a capacityof 7,000 cubit ft., used primarily fortransporting wood chips.

50 YEARS - 1943

In 1943, the need for larger& more convenient working spaceat Tulsa, OK, brought about byincreased freight & passenger traffic,caused the Frisco Traffic Dept. to

move to new offices on the groundfloor of the Kennedy Building atfourth & Boston Ave., Tulsa. One ofthe most unique features of the newoffice was a series of display windowspromoting both the Frisco and thecountry's involvement in World WarII.

75 YEARS - 1918

In 1918, three mechanicalinterlocking plants were installedat Muskogee (33 levers), Ada (18levers), and Rock Island, OK (8levers).

One of the window displays at the Traffic Department, Kennedy Building, Tulsa, OK 1943. Frisco photo

AN ERROR IN TIMINGThe Story of The Great Andover Train Robbery

ByRobert Collins

Andover was served by theSt. Louis & San Francisco Railway.The Frisco had built through thearea in 1880. The citizens of BrunoTownship had earlier voted for$18,000.00 in bonds for the railway.With the construction of that line,the town of Andover was plattedand established.

Andover was a ruralcommunity during those days. Theonly businesses in town before theturn of the century were a generalstore, a blacksmith, a lumber yard,and a grain elevator. The one churchholding services in its own buildingwas the Methodist Church. Andoverhad a small depot, roughly 18' x 32',with an office, a waiting room, a

freight and baggage room, and anoutside privy. (see Down At TheDepot feature, p. 20) It was the lasttwo, the church and the depot, thatwould play major parts in thisdrama.

Throughout the day of July16, 1898, two men were grazingtheir horses in the area. The farmerswho saw them assumed that theywere cowboys passing through.They hung around for most of theday, but kept apart from locals.

That July evening thechurch held an ice-cream social.The whole town was in attendance.The talk of the town would havebeen the end of the Spanish-American War, as the final attack

EDITOR'S NOTE: Frisco Folk RobertCollins is a free lance writer, N-Scalemodel railroader, and active in theAndover, KS Historical Society. Hisstory of the Great Andover TrainRobbery recently won the ButlerCounty Jessee Perry StratfordAward for non-fiction writing.

In 1898 the small town ofAndover, near the western border ofButler County, had a brief fling withthe Wild West. A train robbery ledto an eruption of gunfire in thethen-tiny community. But theremight not have been one shot fired,had two wanted criminals notchosen the wrong Saturday tocommit their bold crime.

Frisco map, circa 1897, showing the old Kansas Division between Peirce City, MO & Halstead, KS.

Frisco 4-4-0 #115, type of locomotive pulling the train through Andover onthe night of the Great Train Robbery, July 16, 1898. A. Johnson photo

on Santiago, Cuba, was under way.There would also have beenspeculation on the harvest sometow months away, and gossip aboutfriends and family members.

Among the more well-knownattendees was Frisco Depot AgentS.B. McClaren. McClaren washelping make the ice cream, but hehad no plans to stay the wholenight. He would have to return tothe depot around 9:45 p.m. Thedaily express passenger train wasscheduled to arrive in Andover at9:55 p.m.

McClaren left the social ontime. He probably passed by theblacksmith's, and may have seentwo men tying up their horses. Themen followed Agent McClaren intothe depot, and one of them boughta ticket to Augusta, the next townalong the line.

As McClaren was preparingfor the train's arrival, the two menrevealed their intentions. They drewlarge-caliber revolvers and orderedMcClaren to hand over all his cashand checks. The agent gave themabout $45.00 in cash and $50.00 inchecks signed and made out to alocal creamery. The men thenordered him to flag down the train.

The Frisco didn't have aname or number for this train. An1886 schedule describes it only asa express passenger train, runningdaily, heading east out of Wichita,with a 9:55 p.m. Andover arrival.The train's consist was probably a4-4-0 American-type locomotive, abaggage car, post office car withexpress area, and severalheavyweight passenger cars. Noone would have known why thetrain was stopping, but wouldn'thave been concerned.

As soon as the train stoppedone of the men leapt up to thelocomotive's cab. He ordered theengineer and fireman out of thecab, and kept them in front of theengine with Agent McClaren. Hisconfederate then entered theexpress car. There was only oneman guarding the safe, and expressmessenger, and he was unarmed.The robber ordered him to open thesafe. The robber took the $400.00

or $500.00 that was in the safe, andleft the car. It looked like a quickcrime and a clean getaway.

But things were alreadygoing wrong. Agent McClarenmanaged to evade his guard duringone of the steam bursts the enginewould let out while stopped.McClaren ran back to the church toraise the alarm. Not many citizenswere armed, but they headedtowards the depot all the same.

At the same time anotherman noticed one of the maskedrobbers jumping from the expresscar. He watched as the maskedman was joined by a second, andthe two ran for their horses. Theman may have been at home, in oneof the houses that stood near thedepot. He ran onto the scene witha gun in his hand. It was pitchdark, so rather that trying to aim forthe robbers, the brave citizen firedat the horses. He killed one of thevillain's steeds.

Now everyone was alerted tothe situation. The few citizens fromthe ice-cream social who had gunsbegan firing. The criminals doubledup on the one horse still alive. Asthey headed south out of town oneman returned fire. One of his shotshit home: 38-year-old WilliamBenford had a bullet in his spine.

The next day the WichitaDaily Eagle told the story of thetrain robbery. "Frisco Is Held Up,"the piece began. It offereddescriptions of the two men: onewas short & stocky, the other, "tall,spare but muscular." It speculatedthat the two may have beenresponsible for post office robberiesin Crystal Springs and Danville,KS, that had occurred in the lastmonth. There was also mention ofthe creamery checks being canceled.

The next issue of the Eagleto add more details was Tuesday,August 19. Under the title "AreUnder Arrest," the account includeda report of a horse and buggy stolenfrom a farmer in southeasternSedgwick County. The major newswas that two men fitting thedescription of the criminals hadbeen spotted in Maize. After takingprecautions not to start a gunfightin the town the men wereapprehended. Unfortunately thetwo men could not be positivelyidentified as the Andover trainrobbers. A day after their arrest themen were set free. It appeared thatthe hand of justice would not catchthe guilty men.

Then, on August the 4th,news came from the town of Nowata,Oklahoma, south of Coffeyville. Twomen, Samuel Smith and Tom Wynn,

Frisco Line, Kansas DivisionTimetable, April 11, 1886

had been taken into custody onsuspicion of robbing the Frisco trainat Andover.

Wynn was from the IndianTerritory, and was either a half-breed or full-blooded Indian, with acriminal record. He met Smith inthe Lansing prison, and they'descaped together in the early part ofthe summer of 1898.

Smith was a far moreunpleasant character. The previousyear he'd carried on a reign of terrorin Cowley and Sumner Counties.Smith had been wounded in theAndover robbery, but not seriously,and hid at his father-in-law's housenear Belle Plaine for a short time.When he was captured Smith wasdisguised as a clergyman, and triedto shake off his pursuers first byshooting at them, then by hiding ina mud-hole.

Smith and Wynn would betried in El Dorado. Marshal SidBlakeman of Leon, aided by anunnamed Wells Fargo Agent, wentsouth to bring the men back toButler County. There was no directrail line from Coffeyville to El Dorado,so they took a complicated route.They traveled from southeasternKansas to the Frisco Line, took atrain into Wichita, then took aMissouri Pacific train to El Dorado.This would take Smith and Wynnthrough Andover.

The scene in Andover as thetrain pulled into town can well beimagined. Anyone who had a gunprobably carried it. There was talkof lynchings and other acts of frontierjustice. Angry shouts and criescould have been heard inside thecar. A few people were brought onboard to identify Smith and Wynnas the robbers. The stop was short,the men and their escorts continuedon, and they arrived in El Dorado onMonday, August 9, 1898.

The two accused felonsspent the next few months in the ElDorado jail under heavy guard.Depot Agent McClaren was broughtin, and positively identified Smithand Wynn. Smith's family hired alawyer from the Kansas City area torepresent him. The actual chargesagainst the men were held up until

the condition of Will Benford, theonly man seriously wounded in therobbery, was resolved.

On August 22 Benford died.He was shot in the spine, and hadbeen paralyzed. To this day itremains unclear under whatcircumstances Benford received hismortal would. An early report of thehold-up said that an unarmed manhad tried to stop the robbers andwas gravely wounded. Later reportssuggest that Benford was hit in thegeneral melee that occurred asSmith and Wynn fled town.

However it happened, it wasascertained that Smith had firedthe fatal shot. In November of 1898Smith was convicted of first-degreemurder and sentenced to death byhanging. Wynn was convicted ofsecond-degree murder, sentencedto 20 years, and both were sentback to Lansing.

Smith tried to escape hisdeath sentence two years later. Hisattempt was a utter failure. He wasshot by prison guards, andsubsequently died of his wounds.Wynn successfully escaped inNovember, 1912. He was recapturedthree months later, but was set freein 1914 when the governorcommuted his sentence. Wynn wasnot seen in Kansas again; It's likelyhe returned to Oklahoma and livedout his life there.

A few questions about themen who held up the train have yetto be answered. Did they knowabout the ice-cream social? Was ita part of their plan? Did they hopethat, with everyone at the church,no one would see them robbing thetrain?

If they didn't know aboutthe ice-cream social, then Smithand Wynn made a seriousmiscalculation. They chose thewrong place and the wrong time.

In the end, it was An ErrorIn Timing of their crime thatbrought them to justice. It was thaterror that kept the act from beingan unsolved mystery. It was thaterror that distinguishes the Andovertrain robbery from all others, beforeand since.

DOWN AT THE DEPOT

ANDOVER, KSStation F494

Wichita Sub-DivisionNorthern Division

On March 21, 1879, the St.Louis, Wichita & Western RailwayCo. was incorporated in Kansas. Itwas formed and controlled by theFrisco for the purpose ofconstructing a line from Oswego toWichita, KS. On March 28, 1882,the company executed a deedofficially conveying its property,rights, & franchises to the Frisco.On that date, 142 miles of standardgauge, single track railroad, wascompleted, and became the westernend of the Frisco's Kansas Division.It was later designated as the WichitaSub-Division, Northern Division.

In 1880, a 32' x 18' framedepot was constructed at stationNo. F494, at Andover, KS. Thecombination station was set on apile head foundation with 2" x 6"walls and a 1 / 3 pitch gable roofcovered with green shingles. Theexterior of the depot was finishedwith boards & battens and waspainted Frisco standard gray &white.

The interior of the depot wasdivided into a small office andwaiting room on the west end and alarge freight & baggage room on theeast. The cinder platform extended40' to the west and 90' east of thestation.

The interior walls werefinished with 3/ 4" x 3 1/4" M. & B.and the floors were 3 /4" x 3 1/4"yellow pine. The ceiling heightswere 10'5", lighting was by oil lamps,and sanitary facilities were outside.

The Andover facilities also

included a bunk house, sectionhouse, and three stock pens with atotal capacity of four cars.

In the 1920's, Andover wasserved by two daily passenger trains,Nos. 307-308 and 310-311. In the1930's, it became a flag-stop fortrains 305 & 310. The 1940's and1950's saw flag-stop servicecontinue, and on October 15, 1960,trains 309 & 310 made their finalrun between Monett, MO andWichita, KS, thus ending passengerservice to Andover.

Andover, KS, February, 1963. L.L. Clerico photo